Not the Fortunate Ones
by jiangcheng
Summary: Ginny just wishes she could be out and free. For QL, S6, and for pride month.


**Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.**

 **Beater 1:** Hey Now (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun) — Cyndi Lauper

 **Prompts:** horror / powder grey / glitter

 **Word count:** 1,075 (not including lyrics)

* * *

 ** _Not the Fortunate Ones_**

* * *

 _My mother says when you gonna live your life right_  
 _Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones_  
 _And girls they wanna have fun_

Under the flashing lights of the club and the colorful clothes of the clubgoers, Ginny takes in the words that plague her parents' nightmares and carves them into her skin.

She embraces them in every stitch that she has painstakingly sewn on by hand so her shirt reads _pride_. She embraces _proud_ in every beautiful rainbow she patched on to her denim jacket in preparation for this night. She embraces _brave_ in every flag she has waved around so far, solidating her support for all the pains her community must endure.

Here, in this room, she is no different from everybody else.

She's gay and that's okay.

"Are you having fun?" Harry asks her when she finally leaves the dancefloor and meets him at their table. He's currently wrapped up in the arms of his boyfriend, gently swaying in their seats. It's a bit odd when everyone else is dancing wildly, but Harry and Draco have always been odd. She grins and nods, grabbing her glass of water and draining it.

"I'm very happy," she responds, taking a look around the club. It looks stunning. Rainbows and flags of all sexualities and orientations line the walls, and the smiles on people's faces are pure elation. There's something special about the pride month's celebration that pours adrenaline into those who visit the club. She can feel the same spike of rush coursing through her blood.

With that said, she makes her way over the bar. That one cup of water is not enough to satisfy her thirst when she's been dancing for over an hour. Since she's only ordered water, it's easy to catch the bartender's attention and get her drink.

"Hello," a voice speaks to her right, airy and light. Ginny turns and almost chokes on her water. The young woman has long, blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. There's a nice flush to her cheeks that Ginny guesses is also from dancing.

Ginny wipes her mouth and smiles sheepishly. "Hi, I'm Ginny. Sorry about that."

The girl laughs and it sets a warm feeling in Ginny's chest. "It's okay. I'm Luna," she introduces, giving Ginny her hand. It's softer and smaller than Ginny's own hand. "Is this your first time coming? I've never seen you before."

"Is it that obvious?" she asks, wondering if everyone else can see it too.

Luna shakes her head, eyes crinkling when she smiles. "No, I'd like to think I would've noticed you if I ever saw you before. Surely, I would have approached you."

Ginny doesn't even try to stop the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "I'm happy you did."

Suddenly, the music dies down and the DJ's voice spreads over the club, soft and melancholy. Luna seems to understand what's happening because her expression turns serene.

"Tonight, while so many of us celebrate the changes in our society and the acceptance we are slowly being given, we give a moment of silence to those who have lost their lives in the struggle. They will never be forgotten."

She can hear people crying quietly and a wave of sadness and horror washes over her. She feels the light touch of Luna's hand and that's all it takes for her to hold on tight for the seconds of remembrance.

"Tonight is also a night of celebration. Live your life to the fullest and have fun!"

The beat begins again and the energy of the room is overwhelming. Luna squeezes Ginny's hand once before letting go. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a bottle of glitter. "How would you like to have some warpaint?"

Ginny laughs and lets quick fingers administer glitter over her cheeks. The warpaint makes her feel stronger.

"Do you wanna dance?"

There's no hesitation when Ginny grabs Luna's hand and pulls her out to the dance floor, laughing and bumping into each other. Ginny doesn't know if she can remember a time where she's had this much fun.

* * *

There's a moment of silence—painstaking seconds where air fails to travel to her lungs—before her dad laughs and her mum pulls her into a hug. Ginny lets out a breath and squeezes her mum back. Beside them, she can hear her dad reminding Harry of Ginny's curfew and how if he wants to take her daughter out again, he has to adhere with the time. Ginny closes her eyes and says, "Sorry," to her parents, to Harry, and to herself.

Molly shakes her head, pulling back with the happiest grin on her face. "You have nothing to be sorry about, dear! This is the greatest news you could have given me." Her mum lets her go and grabs Arthur's arm in excitement. It's then that Ginny becomes all too aware of how she and Harry are standing at arm's distance in the small doorway. She reaches out and grabs Harry's hand, taking a step closer to him. Bile rises in her throat because of how _wrong_ it feels. "Isn't this exciting, Arthur? We've always known you two would have found your way to each other eventually. I'm so happy you're together."

The smile on her face is slipping, and she can't find the strength to paint it back on. Her mum sounds … so happy and _proud_. There's only so much she can take. She's ever so grateful for how hard and tight Harry's hold is because she's one second away from falling. Now that she knows how _free_ she can be, it's hard to fit back into the mold of her parents.

It's hard to don on the black, floor-length skirt and the powder grey jumper since it's so different from the colorful rainbows she was wearing before. The colors are so monotone and drab. A fitting description of how she feels now.

Ginny laughs, praying it doesn't sound as hysterical as she feels. "I know, mum. I know," she answers.

"Well, say goodnight to Harry soon. You know you have to be up early and bright tomorrow for the service. We expect to see you at church, too, Harry," Arthur says kindly, leading Molly away further into the house. Ginny knows her dad is heading back into his study to study the sermon he's giving tomorrow.

After Harry and Ginny say goodbye and hug each other tightly, Ginny makes her way to her room. She wastes no time in getting under the covers and wills herself to fall asleep, dreaming of dancing and blue eyes.


End file.
